Latest news with #ex-Welsh
South Wales Guardian
16 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Shane Williams MBE to take part in Wales Air Ambulance event
On Sunday, September 7, Shane Williams MBE will take part in the 'Cycle 100km for the Wales Air Ambulance' fundraising event. The 2008 World Rugby Player of the Year has been showing his support for the all-Wales Charity following a partnership announcement last year with his sportswear brand, Agilis. Last year's event saw nearly 100 participants. (Image: Wales Air Ambulance) Shane said: 'I am very proud to say that myself and Agilis will be working in partnership with Wales Air Ambulance. 'Obviously, it's a fantastic Charity and cause, we've all seen the great work that they have done, how amazing they are and the difference they make to a lot of people's lives, so I am very proud to be associated with them on this adventure.' The ex-Welsh and British and Irish Lions rugby legend will cycle from Cardiff to the Charity's headquarters, in Dafen, Llanelli along with other participants. Like last year, after leaving Cardiff, cyclists will head towards Bridgend, pedal through Port Talbot and pass through Swansea before finishing their Cycle 100km. Despite the wet weather, last year's event saw nearly 100 participants, including some crew, saddle up whilst raising funds for the all-Wales Charity. It's the second mass-participation cycle event the Charity has hosted, and whether you're a seasoned cyclist or a first-time racer, the event is all about having fun, enjoying the scenic views and raising vital funds for the lifesaving charity. Cycle 100km is aimed at having fun, enjoying the scenic views and celebrating the local cycling community. Entry costs £100 per participant and includes a Wales Air Ambulance cycling jersey, which must be worn on the day of the event. Participants will have the chance to meet Shane and some of the crew, will receive a bespoke event medal and have support along the route at dedicated feed stations. Nina Rice, Head of Fundraising – High Value Partnerships for the Wales Air Ambulance, said: 'We are delighted to announce that after last year's success we Cycle 100km for Wales Air Ambulance event is back. 'Last year we were pleased with the turnout of our first mass-participant fundraiser for our lifesaving Charity. Fingers crossed the weather is a little kinder this year, but if not, it won't dampen our spirits. 'We really appreciate the support of everyone who took part last year and would be delighted if they entered again this year. 'This is a wonderful opportunity for cyclists, who would like to set themselves a challenge, to get together and achieve a personal goal, whilst raising funds for the charity.'
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Ex-Wales rugby captain's business settles claim from former star
Ex-Wales rugby captain's business settles claim from former star Exclusive: A settlement has been reached in the case brought by Leigh Davies against a multimillion-pound water supplier Former Wales captain and WRU chairman David Pickering A water supplier run by ex-Welsh Rugby Union chairman David Pickering has settled a court claim from former Wales rugby international Leigh Davies. The retired centre had accused Hydro Industries of cheating him out of more than £125,000. Mr Davies, 48, earned 21 caps and played for teams including Scarlets and Ospreys. Mr Pickering, 64, was a flanker who captained Wales before managing the national team and then spending 11 years as WRU chairman. He is chairman of Hydro, a Carmarthenshire-based firm which provides drinking water in various countries and last year had more than £5.2m in net assets. In his claim, which was due to go to trial at Cardiff county court, Mr Davies accused Hydro of "deception" over Middle-Eastern business deals and said he no longer trusted Mr Pickering or the other directors. But we understand a settlement has been reached and the claim withdrawn. Hydro told WalesOnline: 'The proceedings have been stayed on the basis of confidential terms that neither party is free to disclose or discuss." The business previously made headlines in 2021 having secured millions in UK Government funding after donating £71,000 to the then-ruling Tory party. One of its directors is journalist Guto Harri, who was a top aide to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Wales centre Leigh Davies tackled by Tom Takau of the USA in 1999 (Image: David Rogers /Allsport ) Article continues below Mr Davies' claim – first revealed by WalesOnline in January – alleged that he got to know people involved in Hydro after helping one of its directors with fitness training. Mr Davies allegedly introduced the directors to a friend he knew from charity rugby events in Dubai. That friend was a "close business partner and friend with the royal family in the United Arab Emirates", the filing alleged. According to Mr Davies' claim his friend was "looking for a water purification company to assist with numerous projects in the UAE, Gulf states, and surrounding countries". It added: "Following my initial introduction the potential for business grew and it became clear early on that there was massive potential for large contracts." The Neath-born star claimed he signed an agreement with Hydro's directors in 2013 that would secure him 5% commission on any orders he introduced or helped negotiate. The following year Hydro announced what it described as a "£20m joint-venture deal" with Abu Dhabi business group M Partners for a water treatment project in the UAE. Mr Davies saw himself as an "essential and continuing" link between Hydro and companies in the Gulf states. He said he represented Hydro at meetings and at corporate and charity events. "Hydro could not have existed, searched for new business opportunities, or entered into any new business contracts without my introductions," the filing alleged. It continued: "In 2016 Hydro wanted me to sign a new and different contract. This new contract would reduce my commission from 5% to 1%. Naturally this concerned me a little so I arranged to meet Wayne Preece [the chief executive officer of Hydro]." Mr Davies and Mr Preece allegedly met at the Morgans Hotel in Swansea. "We discussed the new agreement and discussed all the new business opportunities that had been presented to Hydro since my introductions," the claim read, adding that "lots" of potential contracts were mentioned including one with UAE waste management company Bee'ah. "I did not write any of them down as I took Wayne at his word that my interests and commission would be protected. I also believed I had some legal protection at that stage pursuant to the 2013 sales agreement. "On that evening Wayne Preece provided me with a 'forecast document' which suggested I would be receiving significant commission payments that would steadily increase over the next five years and then settle out resulting in a significant annual amount that would be life-changing for me. Even though my commission would be reducing from 5% to 1% even at 1% the forecast suggested I would be earning around £250,000 a year for the next 20 years from my commission payments. Naturally I now deeply regret trusting Wayne Preece on that night. "A few months later I signed the new 1% commission agreement in good faith. Unbeknown to me at the time negotiations were already ongoing and close to conclusion on the Bee'ah contract. I now know that the Bee'ah contract was signed on June 26, 2016, only a few weeks after I signed the 1% agreement. Had I still been entitled under my old contract at 5% I would have been entitled to a payment in excess of £125,000. I feel I was misled at the time but was not troubled as I had been assured that my 1% agreement would still bring me huge dividends. "Knowing what I now know it is clear that Hydro were becoming well aware of the potential for business in the UAE and Gulf states and wider and wanted to reduce my commission from 5% to 1% and then actually had no intention to pay any commission, in fact wanted to remove me completely." The claim accuses Hydro of "deception" in allegedly failing to disclose the Bee'ah contract. "I was told by Wayne Preece that there were lots of contracts 'in the pipeline' but nothing had actually been signed yet and that no monies had been received by Hydro as yet. This clearly was not the case and Bee'ah was close to signing and monies were about to be received, some of which I was entitled to." The claim was for £28,000 based on Hydro's alleged failures to pay 1% commission on deals after Mr Davies signed the 2016 contract but it also called for a ruling on whether he was entitled to 5%. When we inquired about the settlement Mr Davies declined to comment. Hydro, based in Llangennech, had net assets of £5,248,577 last year, £10,523,965 the preceding year, and £12,647,257 the year before that. The firm specialises in water purification technology and in recent years has won contracts in Ecuador, Bangladesh, and Egypt. Article continues below
The Guardian
11-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Time for Wales to face the Six Nations music as faith and form nosedive
The difference is a mere 0.1 of a ranking point. And rankings, in isolation, do not necessarily foretell the future. Even so the news that Wales have slipped to 12th in World Rugby's official pecking order, one place below Georgia, was a hugely symbolic moment. After 14 Test defeats in succession, another unwanted record, it was a new low in a season increasingly full of them. Faith seems to be ebbing away, too. 'It can't carry on like this,' their erstwhile fly-half Dan Biggar said on ITV Sport over the weekend. 'That looks like a team shot of belief and confidence.' Sam Warburton, who was leading Wales to Six Nations titles and grand slams not so long ago, was similarly downbeat as he sifted through the ashes of the defeat against Italy in Rome on Saturday. Neither were putting the boot in for the sake of it, they were just saying it as it is. Warburton, for example, pointed out Wales had made 13 first-phase carries in the first half against the Azzurri. For a total of one metre gained. Talk about a stat to sum up Wales's predicament. Their forwards are running head first into a brick wall and the wall is winning. 'There were times in that second half when I thought it was the most depressing and hopeless performance that I've seen from Wales,' said Gwyn Jones, another frustrated ex-Welsh skipper, on the BBC's Scrum V. At this point those with long memories will shake their heads sorrowfully and suggest alternative occasions when Wales have arguably been at a lower ebb. Losing 96-13 in South Africa in 1998, for example, or being beaten at home by Western Samoa in 1991. They eventually rebounded from those embarrassments and have won more Six Nations titles over the past 20 years – six – than England and Scotland combined. But it is starting to feel like one of those cartoons where Wile E Coyote accelerates off a cliff and hangs briefly in midair until gravity takes over, Wales are not so much drifting slowly downwards as nose-diving at a frightening rate. Their next three games – at home against Ireland, away against Scotland and home against England – seem unlikely to cushion their descent. It could get worse if the two-Test tour to Japan this summer yields further disappointment. Defeats in Kitakyushu and Kobe could result in Wales dropping out of the world's top dozen sides, condemning them to a potentially fiendish draw at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. And on it goes. Down, down, deeper on down. No one with an ounce of rugby soul wants to see Welsh rugby sink any lower. There is still no finer place to be on an international weekend than inside the Principality Stadium, with the anthems soaring and passion (or something like it) dripping off the roof. As Max Boyce told the Guardian this time last year: 'The Six Nations needs a strong Welsh team. It's a manifestation of the nation.' But amid all the finger-pointing – and the blame clearly extends way beyond one or two individuals – and issues surrounding the regional game, there is another significant dimension to consider. If Wales really are at rock bottom and in danger of collecting annual Six Nations wooden spoons indefinitely, what does that do for the health of the tournament more generally? It is a question that was once thrown repeatedly at Italy when they were rooted to the bottom of the table. Now, as it happens, the Azzurri have lost just one of their past five Six Nations fixtures. The Italians always argued, rightly, that jettisoning them would be a backward step, not just for Italian rugby but for the development of the sport in continental Europe. As a private competition, of course, it remains very much in the organisers' gift to stick to the status quo. But that unblinking stance will become harder and harder to maintain if Welsh rugby fails to snap out of its doom loop in the not-too-distant future. Georgia are transparently too good for the shadow Rugby Europe Championship, Portugal played some fabulous rugby at the last World Cup and Spain have also just qualified automatically for the 2027 tournament. So will the door one day creak open slightly? Last month, the Breakdown duly asked the ritual annual promotion/relegation question and received the kind of quizzical look you get if you ask a non-dom whether he misses paying UK income tax. There are no plans to change anything, we were told. Before being reminded that the 12-team Autumn Nations Series will, theoretically, involve promotion and relegation from 2030. Heaven forbid, in other words, that the Six Nations should embrace the dangerous notion of meritocracy over tradition (and more guaranteed cash). Never mind that Georgia are potentially 10 points better than Wales right now. Nor the volume of potential interest it would generate in Portugal, Spain and across the rest of Europe if the Six Nations were to become a Seven Nations army, with one up and down each year. Maybe Wales would see off Georgia in Tbilisi (political situation permitting) or Spain in Madrid and stay up. Maybe they wouldn't. But would that be any worse a prospect than the endless twilight zone in which they now find themselves? And what gives Wales, or anyone else, the divine right to Six Nations membership anyway? When the winds of change finally blow, everyone will wonder why it took so long. This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
